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[cthoaa]

Pacquiao and Marquez Ready to fight (ESPN)
Footage of today's weigh-in for tomorrow's rematch. LOL @ Shane shuffling around to watch Manny undress. :lol

Is he a harder hitter than Hamed? (ESPN)
Podcast w/ writer Kieran Mulvaney and boxing editor Darius Ortiz about the fantasy match-up, Pacquiao vs. Hamed.

 

[cthoaa]

Hatton vs Lazcano Looks A Hit (YouTube)

Hatton's segments yesterday on Friday Fight Night. Talks about fighting in Manchester, ticket sales for May 24 (45000 in one day), how good his next opponent is and how respected the IBO rankings are (...), future fights under his HBO contract (Malignaggi), goals to accomplish as his career winds down (MSG), more.

I didn't think the matchup vs. Lazcano would be able to drive live attendance to capacity as it isn't very interesting. Apparently, Hatton's homecoming is enough on its own. Witter's argument for a fight with Hatton takes a small hit.

 

[pollo]

i have a feeling marquez got screwed.

Can't say pacquiao won this ...

 

[SephCast]

Yeah man, I think at best Pac had a draw. However, I'm happy Pac won.

 

[rxdco07]

thought pac-man got robbed first fight, this time i think the ko won it for him, much props for pacquiao, filipino hero of mine

without that ko, would of have thought it was a draw, but 114-113 was the right call, dont know what the fuck happened to those 115-112s

 

[smurfx]

i had it for marquez and the 12 round is what won it for him as far as i'm concerned. oh well didn't expect the decision to go to marquez anyways.

 

[pollo]

don't get me wrong I'm happy Pacquiao won (especially since I'm leaving for Philippines tomorrow - gonna be riding this high the whole week), but no way he is going to be able to get up to 135 and compete. No Way.

 

[cvxfreak]

Manny won!

So so happy... he's a family friend of mine, and I saw the fight live. I flew 5000 miles from Japan to see him fight, so good thing he didn't lose. :lol

 

[cthoaa]

I thought Marquez won it closely, but clearly. The fight was great, though, and the undercard was good. From a production and procedural standpoint, the ppv was a such a step up from last week's show in Cancun.

The KD in the third was key to the scoring, and before the bell, another could have been called as JMM had to pull on the rope pretty hard to keep from going over. (This is the third straight week that close calls have come against the ropes in major fights.)

I wouldn't mind seeing a third fight, but it seems Pacquiao and Arum are set on going in a different direction.

 

[cthoaa]

Manny clinched it in the 10th!
After winning round ten on all three judges' cards, Manny Pacquiao essentially already had the fight won, barring a knockdown. Pacman took a three point lead (96-93) on the cards of Tom Miller and Duane Ford into the final two rounds, while Jerry Roth had Juan Manuel Marquez up by a point. All three judges gave Marquez the eleventh, and all but Ford gave Marquez round twelve, however even had Ford scored the final round for Marquez, Pacquiao still would have prevailed in the fight. The bout was scored 115-112, 114-113 for Pacquiao, 115-112 for Marquez. Below is the official NSAC master scoresheet:

Nothing too interesting on the cards as there were many close rounds. I thought the twelfth was for JMM, but as mentioned, it's moot.

 

[cthoaa]

The Ring updated their ratings for the week.

Manny Pacquiao is crowned Ring Junior Lightweight Champion (the first since 1987) after winning a split decision vs. Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight between #1 and #2 rated fighters. Marquez assumes the division's #1 spot. All others from last week's chart move up with Rocky Juarez debuting at #10.

Hozumi Hasegawa remains #1 in the bantamweight chart after winning a unanimous decision against last week's #9, Simone Maludrottu. Abner Mares debuts, taking Maludrottu's slot after a kayo victory over Diosdado Gabi.

The pound-for-pound chart is unchanged after polling.


The Ring's Junior Lightweight Ratings for period ending March 17

C. Manny Pacquiao PHI 46-3-2 (35)
1. Juan Manuel Marquez MEX 48-4-1 (35)
2. Joan Guzman DOM 28-0 (17)
3. Edwin Valero VEN 23-0 (23)
4. Humberto Soto MEX 43-6-2 (27)
5. Jorge Barrios ARG 47-3-1 (34)
6. Alex Arthur GBR 26-1 (19)
7. Yodsanan Nanthachai THA 50-3-1 (39)
8. Mzonke Fana RSA 27-3 (10)
9. Cassius Baloyi RSA 34-3-1 (18)
10. Rocky Juarez USA 27-4 (19)


The Ring's Bantamweight Ratings for period ending March 17

1. Hozumi Hasegawa JPN 23-2 (7)
2. Veerapol Sahaprom THA 59-3-2 (43)
3. Wladimir Sidorenko UKR 21-0-2 (7)
4. Silence Mabuza RSA 21-2 (17)
5. Gerry Penalosa PHI 52-6-2 (35)
6. Jhonny Gonzalez MEX 36-6 (30)
7. Ricardo Cordoba PAN 31-1-2 (20)
8. Joseph Agbeko GHA 25-1 (22)
9. Abner Mares MEX 16-0 (10)
10. Luis Perez NCA 25-2 (16)


The Ring's Pound for Pound Ratings for period ending March 17

1. Floyd Mayweather USA, welterweight
2. Manny Pacquiao PHI, jr. lightweight
3. Juan Manuel Marquez MEX, jr. lightweight
4. Bernard Hopkins USA, lt. heavyweight
5. Joe Calzaghe GBR, super middleweight
6. Israel Vazquez MEX, jr. featherweight
7. Miguel Cotto PUR, welterweight
8. Ricky Hatton GBR, jr. welterweight
9. Kelly Pavlik USA, middleweight
10. Rafael Marquez MEX, jr. featherweight

 

[cthoaa]

Last month was huge for the bantam- and lightweight divisions. The next two weekends are significant for light-heavyweights.

The Showtime card has Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson and Clinton Woods-Antonio Tarver in what could be a mini-tournament. It's expected that if Dawson and Tarver win their fights, they'll unify their championships later this year. If Woods beats Tarver, there is a verbal agreement between he and Joe Calzaghe to meet in Cardiff in the fall.

Clinton Woods vs Antonio Tarver, UK Trailer (YouTube)
Clinton Woods & Antonio Tarver At Training Camp (YouTube)


Also this weekend, HBO Boxing features two welterweight matchups as Antonio Margarito rematches Kermit Cintron, and Miguel Cotto defends his title vs The Contender's Alfonso Gomez. Both of them are Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, which historically has produced interesting atmospheres and good fights.

HBO updated their YouTube channel with some videos to promote.

Miguel Cotto: My Story (HBO, YouTube)
Miguel Cotto's Greatest Hits (HBO, YouTube)

 

[DarienA]

We're headin out tomorrow morning to see that HBO card at Boardwalk Hall... should be a good one!

 

[cthoaa]

Yeah, the fights on Showtime hold a bit more overall importance as all four fighters are top six or top eight in their division, but I'm a bit more invested in HBO's card.

I like Gomez quite a bit, and despite the long odds, I think he'll make an admirable account of himself. He stands a little above Cotto (more than I thought he would) and at least has been in the ring with true middleweights. (Though, of course, Cotto will come into the ring at around that weight.)

Unfortunately, I don't think Cintron will do as well in his fight vs. Margarito. He, too, comes across as a good guy, but also seems to lack the proverbial "fighting spirit". It might be the tone he takes in his interviews or the fact that, win or lose, he's always crying after his fights, but he seems more of a competitor or hard worker than a fighter fighter.

For as long as they last, I think the fights will be good and the crowd you're in should be boisterous per usual.

 

[cthoaa]

Cotto-Gomez, Cintron-Margarito Weigh-ins (EMC)

Miguel Cotto 146.5 - Alfonso S. Gomez: 147
Kermit Cintron 146.5 - Antonio Margarito: 146.5

Kinda funny seeing the height differences b/w these sets of fighters considering they are all in the same division. Marg and Cintron look like they should be up a divsion or two.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Kermit Cintron added a little spice to an otherwise hum-drum weigh-in on Friday at Caesars Palace when he made a throat slash gesture toward Antonio Margarito.

All four of the welterweights on the HBO-televised card on Saturday from Boardwalk Hall easily made weight. WBA champion Miguel Cotto looked ripped at 146 ½, while his challenger, Alfonso S. Gomez, was 147.

Cintron, the IBF champion, and Margarito, the only man to have beaten him as a pro, both weighed at 146 ½. Margarito appeared in the best physical condition he's been in in years.

As Cintron and Margarito posed for photographers, Cintron made a point to step closer to Margarito, who stopped him in the fifth round of a WBO title bout in Las Vegas in 2005. As the fighters were broken up, Cintron said something to Margarito and then made the throat slash gesture.

Margarito was laughing and Cintron kissed both of his fists and wagged his right threateningly at Margarito. Margarito turned to the crowd and pretended to be crying, a jab at Cintron, who cried in the ring after losing his crown to Margarito.

"For him doing that, I'm going to make him cry a second time," Margarito said. "It's not like he scared me or anything. He's the one who ought to be scared."

 

[SSGMUN10000]

Hell yeah Saturday is fight night. Im watching the Cotto-Gomez live and recording the Showtime card. Man..oh man Im kinda pulling for Gomez to win...he looks in really good shape. I like rooting for the under-dog. Cintron-Margarito will also be really good I guess we will see how much Cintron has improved under Manny. As for Tarver-Woods can't say I have a favorite, really havent seen Woods fight.

 

[cthoaa]

The first time I saw Woods was vs a prime RJJ. There wasn't much room for him to showcase his abilities, but I took a liking to him because of his willingness to stand in the face of impending doom and how well he played off Roy's showboating. (At a point, he got the crowd to cheer for him with an exaggerated Ali shuffle.)

Now he's had a bunch of good fights strung together and remains very fresh for his age. He's pretty orthodox on the outside and features neither exceptional speed nor power, but he does show excellent craft inside. Just on his workrate up close, he poses problems for Tarver.

Woods is a favorite because his performances have been more consistent, but if Tarver can return to pre-Hopkins form, he can get the decision.

Clinton Woods-Antonio Tarver Final Press Conference (YouTube)
Clinton Woods vs Antonio Tarver: At The Weigh-In (YouTube)

It is interesting that Tarver cleared the light-heavy limit by a good margin (1.25 pounds under) and even Woods admitted he looked better at the weigh-in than he has lately.

 

[smurfx]

pretty good night of fights today. glad to see margarito destroy kermit and cotto dismantled gomez like everybody thought. can't wait to see margarito vs cotto.

 

[cthoaa]

It was a clobberin'.

Cotto fought with so much swagger. On top of his power, his speed really made an impression on me. I guess I didn't see it because in his last two fights, he was matched against Judah and Mosley, who are very quick themselves. Against Gomez, though, he could put punches together anytime and pretty much anywhere.

I felt bad for Alfonso, and didn't think the gap in class would be so unbelievably wide. The dismissive look Cotto gave him at the end of round one was just awful.

Cintron's loss to Margarito was expected, but I was really surprised by Steward on the mic immediately afterwards. He was smiling and genuinely seemed to be okay with the loss. As if the fighter he had been training for however long did not just get blasted out in six.

 

[DarienA]

It was a clobberin'.

Cotto fought with so much swagger. On top of his power, his speed really made an impression on me. I guess I didn't see it because in his last two fights, he was matched against Judah and Mosley, who are very quick themselves. Against Gomez, though, he could put punches together anytime and pretty much anywhere.

I felt bad for Alfonso, and didn't think the gap in class would be so unbelievably wide. The dismissive look Cotto gave him at the end of round one was just awful.

Cintron's loss to Margarito was expected, but I was really surprised by Steward on the mic immediately afterwards. He was smiling and genuinely seemed to be okay with the loss. As if the fighter he had been training for however long did not just get blasted out in six.

Many trains lots of fighters, and he's had them lose before, hell one of his hyped young kids just lost to a "Contender" fighter. Manny could tell you, all he can do is coach, the fighter has to go out there an execute.

Boardwalk hall is a decent place, except the overhead monitor is HORRIBLE. It must be from like 1980, low resolution, just a hot mess.

Anyway the crowd was in to both fights (oh yeah Sammy Sosa walked by section 103 (we were in the front row).

While we also expected Cintron to lose we did not expect him to look exhausted basically from the start of round 2. I haven't read anything on the fight yet but I'm REALLY curious to see what was wrong with because as I said from Round 2 on it was like he'd already fought 10 rounds. That and has constant complain to the ref about behind the head hits (don't f'n bend so low then), it was really apparent his heart wasn't in this fight. The few times he actually hit Margarito hard, Margarito smiled and was like yeah come on!

Then to make matters worse Cotto just destroys Skittles! (our nickname for Gomez). I could tell Cotto had no respect for Gomez by the way he would just step back from Gomez, put his hands down, bounce around a bit, or walk away from Gomez with his side/back to him, and then only choose to re-engage Gomez when HE was ready to. Gomez never jumped after him. Cotto was the smaller guy, but Gomez NEVER hurt him with anything. Gomez controlled every second of everyone round and his body shots live were BRUTAL (As was the Magarito body shot knockdown BTW).

In our 3 rows we were taking bets as to how long the fight would last before it started and I called 5 rounds as did this guy behind me from Montreal.

Once again a great atmosphere, and two fights that were much better than that Klitschko stinker.

Margarito vs. Cotto... make it happen!

Somebody at the fight said they might already be contractual obligated to fight July 26th....

EDIT:

Ah I see ESPN has an article up confirming the July 26th fight.... and both of them should be fine training for it since they basically just had sparring matches last night....

 

[Relix]

Didn't bother to watch the Cotto fight. It was obvious who would win . Now bring Margarito vs. Cotto!

 

[cthoaa]

Many trains lots of fighters, and he's had them lose before, hell one of his hyped young kids just lost to a "Contender" fighter. Manny could tell you, all he can do is coach, the fighter has to go out there an execute.

Yeah, I can see that, but still his assessment of the fight was so clinical, almost like he was already distancing himself from his fighter. He analyzes those things so well, but the fight was like just ten minutes ago... though I don't know what I was expecting him to say. I admit I'm probably reading into his post-fight demeanor way too much and mistaking his professionalism for callousness.

And, yeah, there's definitely not a lot to say or do when the opponent is virtually indestructible and can walk through your guy's best punches.

Margarito vs. Cotto on July 26th

It's great there isn't a 4-6 month wait for this.

I don't know if the winner would necessarily have to face the Mosley-Judah or Quintana-Williams winner, but hopefully the guy who comes away with two belts can leverage them into a unification fight with PBF.

 

[cthoaa]

Countdown to Hopkins vs Calzaghe (1/3)
Countdown to Hopkins vs Calzaghe (2/3)
Countdown to Hopkins vs Calzaghe (3/3)

 

[Ninja Scooter]

just watched the replay of the Cotto/Gomez fight on HBO and goddamn did Cotto look impressive. Gomez was completely outclassed i actually felt bad for the guy.

 

[Robert R1]

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=13483

Cotto vs Margarito July 26th! Now that's a PPV I'd pay for! Hopefully they stack on a good undercard also.

 

[cthoaa]

Lots of UK footage for Calzaghe-Hopkins on YouTube, both original video from FWTV and captures of network coverage.


Tuesday's public workouts w/ arrivals + interviews
Joe Calzaghe Vegas Media Workout
Bernard Hopkins Vegas Media Workout

Final press conference, Weds.
Hopkins Calzaghe Press Conf part 1 of 4
Hopkins Calzaghe Press Conf part 2 of 4
Hopkins Calzaghe Press Conf part 3 of 4
Hopkins Calzaghe Press Conf part 4 of 4

Calzaghe interviewed by someone named Des before leaving for Vegas
When Des Met Joe 1/3
When Des Met Joe 2/3
When Des Met Joe 3/3

Steve Bunce follows Hopkins in London and Philadelphia
Bernard Hopkins: Beating The Odds 1/2
Bernard Hopkins: Beating The Odds 2/2

ITV, BBC, Setanta coverage
Calzaghe & Hopkins Hits Vegas
3 Days To Go: Calzaghe vs Hopkins 1/2
3 Days To Go: Calzaghe vs Hopkins 2/2

 

[cthoaa]

Ring Magazine updated their ratings for the week

All in the LHW division, Antonio Tarver +2 to #1 after beating Clinton Woods.
Clinton Woods -4 to #6 after losing to Antonio Tarver.
Chad Dawson +3 to #2 after beating Glen Johnson.
Glen Johnson +1 to #3 after losing to Chad Dawson.
Zsolt Erdei -3 to #4.


Ring Magazine's Light Heavyweight Ratings for period ending April 14

C. Bernard Hopkins USA 48-4-1 (32)
1. Antonio Tarver USA 27-4 (19)
2. Chad Dawson USA 26-0 (17)
3. Glen Johnson JAM 47-12-2 (32)
4. Zsolt Erdei HUN 28-0 (17)
5. Roy Jones USA 52-4 (38)
6. Clinton Woods GBR 41-4-1 (24)
7. Paul Briggs USA 26-3 (18)
8. Adrian Diaconu ROM 24-0 (15)
9. Reggie Johnson USA 44-7-1 (25)
10. Chris Henry USA 21-0 (17)


With Hopkins defending his Ring belt against Calzaghe and Diaconu defending his WBC interim title against Henry, the division will have had a busy two weeks. Erdei falling out of #1 contender spot is understandable because he's just messing around, fighting mandatories while others are making significant fights.

 

[cthoaa]

Setanta's preview/countdown shows continue with footage of the final presser, analysis, a one-on-one interview with Calzaghe, predictions from a group of US boxing writers, more.

2 Days To Go: Calzaghe vs Hopkins 1/3
2 Days To Go: Calzaghe vs Hopkins 2/3
2 Days To Go: Calzaghe vs Hopkins 3/3


Today's weigh-ins are to be streamed live at 2:30 PT/5:30 ET on HBO.com, ESPN.com, and Yahoo.

 

[celestial body]

Both weigh in at 173 lbs. (78.6Kgs)

 

[gollumsluvslave]

Nice pic at the weigh-in

Joe has looked very relaxed all week, I'm really starting to get excited about this one, I just hope Hops doesn't spoil it.

 

[harSon]

It's going to be Mayweather vs. Hatton 2.0, Hopkins may be old as shit for a boxer but Calzaghe has fought no one of significance IMO. It probably won't be by knockout but Hopkins will win.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

It's going to be Mayweather vs. Hatton 2.0, Hopkins may be old as shit for a boxer but Calzaghe has fought no one of significance IMO. It probably won't be by knockout but Hopkins will win.

:lol :lol :lol


If you think that this fight is even remotely in the vicinity of being similar to Hatton vs Mayweather, you are in for an interesting time early Sunday.

Hatton even by his own admission is not close to the same class as Calzaghe.

The only way I can see Hopkins winning this fight is by a stoppage - he isn't busy enough to win on points; Joe will outscore him easily.

I could see Joe possibly getting embroiled in a scrap a la his figh against Sakio Bika, but I think Joe has learned a lot since then - the fight against Kessler shows that.

Joe will win by UD - he took Kessler's best hits and shrugged them off, and I'll bet that Kessler hits harder than Bernard.

I'd love to see Joe get win by KO, but I just can't see that happening, unless the move to LH really has given him extra power.

 

[harSon]

:lol :lol :lol


If you think that this fight is even remotely in the vicinity of being similar to Hatton vs Mayweather, you are in for an interesting time early Sunday.

Hatton even by his own admission is not close to the same class as Calzaghe.

The only way I can see Hopkins winning this fight is by a stoppage - he isn't busy enough to win on points; Joe will outscore him easily.

I could see Joe possibly getting embroiled in a scrap a la his figh against Sakio Bika, but I think Joe has learned a lot since then - the fight against Kessler shows that.

Joe will win by UD - he took Kessler's best hits and shrugged them off, and I'll bet that Kessler hits harder than Bernard.

I'd love to see Joe get win by KO, but I just can't see that happening, unless the move to LH really has given him extra power.

Hopkins will win.

 

[Ash_69]

Oh man this is getting exciting! I expect Calzaghe to take care of business, with his chin, I cant see him getting ko'ed and if it goes to points it's almost certain that he'll win.

 

[SSGMUN10000]

Does anyone know if there will be an internet stream for this fight? Unfortunately I am working overnight.

Kind of torn on who to root for here. You got racist Hopkins on one corner and super shit talker Calzaghe on the other. Seriously some of the shit talking he has done since he beat Lacy is incredible. I might pull for Hopkins since he is American but I dont know if he can keep up with the speed and volume punching of Calzaghe.

 

[harSon]

Going exactly how I thought it would.

 

[Bookey]

im rooting for B-hop tonight

 

[harSon]

Calzaghe hasn't landed much of anything. He's been hitting nothing but back and shoulder blades :lol

 

[Bookey]

wow@ the slapping punches lol

 

[harSon]

Calzaghe is probably going to win at this point... despite not doing anything but slapping Hopkins back and shoulder blades.

 

[GCQuinton]

Wow :lol

 

[harSon]

What the hell are these announcers talking about? Maybe they forgot but.... Hopkins is 43 years old :lol

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

Awesome Joe.


lol

 

[Alex Anderson]

Man, I'm glad Bernard didn't steal a decision with that crappy performance.

 

[harSon]

I think Hopkins proved that Calzaghe is an overrated boxer. The fact that a 43 year old geezer stood toe to toe with Calzaghe should be alarming. This was the first fight I've seen of Calzaghe and I'm completely baffled as to how he can actually win a match... he throws flurries of slapping punches that do absolutely no damage :lol

 

[DarienA]

Bernard Hopkins is one of the greatest actors alive... unfortunately this was a boxing match.

Man Calzaghe looked SO much better against Kessler.... still he did win this fight, but it wasn't some huge decisive win.

I think Hopkins proved that Calzaghe is an overrated boxer. The fact that a 43 year old geezer stood toe to toe with Calzaghe should be alarming. This was the first fight I've seen of Calzaghe and I'm completely baffled as to how he can actually win a match... he throws flurries of slapping punches that do absolutely no damage :lol

You need to see his past fights. This was not Calzaghe at even close to his best.

 

[harSon]

Bernard Hopkins is one of the greatest actors alive... unfortunately this was a boxing match.

Man Calzaghe looked SO much better against Kessler.... still he did win this fight, but it wasn't some huge decisive win.



You need to see his past fights. This was not Calzaghe at even close to his best.

Well, Hopkins is the best fighter he's fought IMO. Kessler and Lacy are overrated as well. Calzaghe simply doesn't have the power to back his flurry of patty cake slaps. A boxer like Pavlik or Taylor would destroy him.

 

[Sanjay]

Hopkins knew he could not box toe to toe with Calzaghe so he just defended during the whole match with counter punches and holding. What a let down of a match, similar match to Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya. I would love to see a match with Calzaghe and Oscar De La Hoya attitude towards boxing, gung ho. One can only deam.

I was wishing Calzaghe to stop attcking hopkins just so the match would go to shit and show the world how shit of a match this really was.

 

[DarienA]

Well, Hopkins is the best fighter he's fought IMO. Kessler and Lacy are overrated as well. Calzaghe simply doesn't have the power to back his flurry of patty cake slaps. A boxer like Pavlik or Taylor would destroy him.

You don't win 32 fights by KO without having some power.

 

[harSon]

You don't win 32 fights by KO without having some power.

When you fight British bar room boxers? Yes, you do.